Los Angeles, CA - Distrust and paranoia about government has a long history, and the feeling that there is a conspiracy of elites can lead to suspicion for authorities and the claims they make. For some, the attraction of conspiracy theories is so strong that it leads them to endorse entirely contradictory beliefs, according to a study in the current Social Psychological and Personality Science (published by SAGE).

People who endorse conspiracy theories see authorities as fundamentally deceptive. The conviction that the "official story" is untrue can lead people to believe several alternative theories-despite contradictions among them. "Any conspiracy theory that stands in opposition to the official narrative will gain some degree of endorsement from someone who holds a conpiracist worldview," according to Michael Wood, Karen Douglas and Robbie Sutton of the University of Kent.

To see if conspiracy views were strong enough to lead to inconsistencies, the researchers asked 137 college students about the death of Princess Diana. The more people thought there "was an official campaign by the intelligence service to assassinate Diana," the more they also believed that "Diana faked her own death to retreat into isolation." Of course, Diana cannot be simultaneously dead and alive.

The researchers wanted to know if the contradictory beliefs were due to suspicion of authorities, so they asked 102 college students about the death of Osama bin Laden (OBL). People who believed that "when the raid took place, OBL was already dead," were significantly more likely to also believe that "OBL is still alive." Since bin Laden is not Schrödinger's cat, he must either be alive or dead. The researchers found that the belief that the "actions of the Obama administration indicate that they are hiding some important or damaging piece of information about the raid" was responsible for the connection between the two conspiracy theories. Conspiracy belief is so potent that it will lead to belief in completely inconsistent ideas.

"For conspiracy theorists, those in power are seen as deceptive-even malevolent-and so any official explanation is at a disadvantage, and any alternative explanation is more credible from the start," said the authors. It is no surprise that fear, mistrust, and even paranoia can lead to muddled thinking; when distrust is engaged, careful reasoning can coast on by. "Believing Osama is still alive," they write, 'is no obstacle to believing that he has been dead for years."###

The article "Dead and Alive: Beliefs in Contradictory Conspiracy Theories" in Social Psychological and Personality Science is available free for a limited time at [link to m.spp.sagepub.com]

Social Psychological and Personality Science is a cutting-edge journal of succinct reports of research in social and personality psychology. SPPS is sponsored by a consortium of the world's leading organizations in social and personality psychology representing over 7,000 scholars on six continents worldwide. [link to spps.sagepub.com]

SAGE is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology, and medicine. An independent company, SAGE has principal offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC. [link to www.sagepublications.com]

Some conspiracy theories have no relation with real events; they come from (temporarily or not) mental disturbed individuals, Internet trolls, scammers, whatever.

For some others, however, you can in fact blame people that don't tell you the whole story. For example the USA mainstream media has an hard time to spread anti-American or non-official views (it's clear when I watch RT, Pravda or AlJazeera).

OK, I will be honest.. It's not that you are nutjobs.. It's just that you are so far from the truth it's hilarious.. It's not hilarious that you are so far from the truth, what's hilarious is that you are so close, that you are sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo far way.. It's just simply not as complex as you all make it out to be.. It's all quite simple.. Really.

The more people thought there "was an official campaign by the intelligence service to assassinate Diana," the more they also believed that "Diana faked her own death to retreat into isolation." Of course, Diana cannot be simultaneously dead and alive.

The researchers wanted to know if the contradictory beliefs were due to suspicion of authorities, so they asked 102 college students about the death of Osama bin Laden (OBL). People who believed that "when the raid took place, OBL was already dead," were significantly more likely to also believe that "OBL is still alive."

Quoting: ToSeek

This study is a crock of shit, along with the so-called "researchers" and their silly conclusions.

I've never heard anyone theorize that Diana faked her own death or that Osama bin Laden is still alive.

Trying to tie beliefs in government conspiracies with ridiculous and never-discussed theories is laughable. These are "straw man" arguments.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA I know some people that are nuts and I'm not one of them. As already stated what conclusion did you expect them to reach, and how many stars were you expecting to get on a conspiracy forum?

Scientists wake up in the morning, from sleep, which they don't fully understand, with a consciousness that they don't fully understand.Scientists claim that it's no accident that the foot is attached to the end of a leg.

Scientists wake up in the morning, from sleep, which they don't fully understand, with a consciousness that they don't fully understand.Scientists claim that it's no accident that the foot is attached to the end of a leg.

Lol if our government wasn't full of proven conspiracies of the past they might have something here. But, since our leaders routinely break the law and get into morally questionable situations, they are the people that are nuts if they really think it won't happen again. As any scientist or anyone with much of an education at all should know, history repeats itself.

Los Angeles, CA - Distrust and paranoia about government has a long history, and the feeling that there is a conspiracy of elites can lead to suspicion for authorities and the claims they make. For some, the attraction of conspiracy theories is so strong that it leads them to endorse entirely contradictory beliefs, according to a study in the current Social Psychological and Personality Science (published by SAGE).

People who endorse conspiracy theories see authorities as fundamentally deceptive. The conviction that the "official story" is untrue can lead people to believe several alternative theories-despite contradictions among them. "Any conspiracy theory that stands in opposition to the official narrative will gain some degree of endorsement from someone who holds a conpiracist worldview," according to Michael Wood, Karen Douglas and Robbie Sutton of the University of Kent.

To see if conspiracy views were strong enough to lead to inconsistencies, the researchers asked 137 college students about the death of Princess Diana. The more people thought there "was an official campaign by the intelligence service to assassinate Diana," the more they also believed that "Diana faked her own death to retreat into isolation." Of course, Diana cannot be simultaneously dead and alive.

The researchers wanted to know if the contradictory beliefs were due to suspicion of authorities, so they asked 102 college students about the death of Osama bin Laden (OBL). People who believed that "when the raid took place, OBL was already dead," were significantly more likely to also believe that "OBL is still alive." Since bin Laden is not Schrödinger's cat, he must either be alive or dead. The researchers found that the belief that the "actions of the Obama administration indicate that they are hiding some important or damaging piece of information about the raid" was responsible for the connection between the two conspiracy theories. Conspiracy belief is so potent that it will lead to belief in completely inconsistent ideas.

"For conspiracy theorists, those in power are seen as deceptive-even malevolent-and so any official explanation is at a disadvantage, and any alternative explanation is more credible from the start," said the authors. It is no surprise that fear, mistrust, and even paranoia can lead to muddled thinking; when distrust is engaged, careful reasoning can coast on by. "Believing Osama is still alive," they write, 'is no obstacle to believing that he has been dead for years."###

The article "Dead and Alive: Beliefs in Contradictory Conspiracy Theories" in Social Psychological and Personality Science is available free for a limited time at [link to m.spp.sagepub.com]

Social Psychological and Personality Science is a cutting-edge journal of succinct reports of research in social and personality psychology. SPPS is sponsored by a consortium of the world's leading organizations in social and personality psychology representing over 7,000 scholars on six continents worldwide. [link to spps.sagepub.com]

SAGE is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology, and medicine. An independent company, SAGE has principal offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC. [link to www.sagepublications.com]

Quoting: ToSeek

plus it is very easy to find a conspiracy when told what too look for most conspiracy theories dont make sense nor withstand any scrutiny. They usually involve operations so immense that its basically impossible for them to be kept secret and all the proof given by conspiracy theorists usually have a very simple explanation(usually much simpler than the explanation given by the theorists) big reason for this is that some conspiracy theorists are clever they use psychology to make their theories sound more plausible. They appeal to certain phenomena which make people to tend to believe them. However, these tricks are nothing more than logical fallacies. They are simply so well disguised that many people can't see them for what they are.

Yet conspiracy theories are very popular and appealing. Even when they dont make sense and theres just no proof many people still believe them. Why?

She just goes a little mad sometimes. We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven't you?-Norman Bates

I think that rich people should live like poor people, and poor people should live like rich people, and change every week....-Tupac Shakur

Somebody help me, tell me where to go from here cause even Thugs cry, but do the Lord care? -Tupac Shakur

I don't have no fear of death. My only fear is coming back reincarnated. -Tupac Shakur

I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color. -Malcolm X

A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything. -Malcolm X

When there’s no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the Earth.-Dawn of the Dead

I believe it's a meter of perspective. You can give two different people some white papers from the rand corporation and you will get two different perspectives. Evil is often benign...Just ask the Germans why they sat back while their government tried to genocide a race of people...I'm sure they called people who were concerned "conspiracy theorists" too.

It's all about the frame of mind couple with ones overlapping moral sense.

Do the ends justify the means?? Thats at the root.

Also look up COINTELPRO and tell me that the government doesn't actively try to destroy political movements that challenge the statueqou...look at what the media has done with that Ron Paul fellow.

I believe it's a meter of perspective. You can give two different people some white papers from the rand corporation and you will get two different perspectives. Evil is often benign...Just ask the Germans why they sat back while their government tried to genocide a race of people...I'm sure they called people who were concerned "conspiracy theorists" too.

It's all about the frame of mind couple with ones overlapping moral sense.

Do the ends justify the means?? Thats at the root.

Also look up COINTELPRO and tell me that the government doesn't actively try to destroy political movements that challenge the statueqou...look at what the media has done with that Ron Paul fellow.

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 1127413

im sure that there are some "conspiracies" the thing is not every bad thing that happens is not a conspiracy believing in conspiracies and rejecting coincidences is more comforting than facing up to the fact that some things just happen. Conspiracy theorists see little merit in simplicity – to them it suggests feeble-mindedness.

She just goes a little mad sometimes. We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven't you?-Norman Bates

I think that rich people should live like poor people, and poor people should live like rich people, and change every week....-Tupac Shakur

Somebody help me, tell me where to go from here cause even Thugs cry, but do the Lord care? -Tupac Shakur

I don't have no fear of death. My only fear is coming back reincarnated. -Tupac Shakur

I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color. -Malcolm X

A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything. -Malcolm X

When there’s no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the Earth.-Dawn of the Dead